


Photos of A Happy Life

by cardans_tail



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: All The Ships, Boyfriends, Boys In Love, Canon LGBTQ Character, Childhood Trauma, Domestic Fluff, Exy (All For The Game), Fluff, Found Family, Fox - Freeform, Foxes, Happy Ending, Happy Foxes (All For The Game), Idiots in Love, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Character of Color, Love, M/M, Medical Trauma, Psychological Trauma, Trauma, mafia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 21:08:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29939412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cardans_tail/pseuds/cardans_tail
Summary: Remember, Niel. He told himself. Remember this moment, these people, this feeling, this life. This is what happiness feels like.
Relationships: Allison Reynolds/Renee Walker (All For The Game), Katelyn/Aaron Minyard, Kevin Day/Neil Josten, Kevin Day/Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, Matt Boyd & Neil Josten, Matt Boyd/Danielle "Dan" Wilds, Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, Nicky Hemmick & Andrew Minyard, Nicky Hemmick/Erik Klose
Comments: 2
Kudos: 30





	Photos of A Happy Life

**Author's Note:**

> This piece of work was inspired by lemonboyjosten (Instagram) who made a mini fic about Neil taking a pic of Andrew wearing cat ears. Please go check their profile! 
> 
> Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/CMCsNrnpdCu/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Neil had lived his whole life running away. He had grown up knowing the best ways to blend in, not to stand out. He had grown up knowing where to get a fake password, a fake id, and the places to go if you wanted to be a different person. But it had all changed the moment he became a Fox. 

He went from disappearing, to actually being there; he went from sleeping in abandoned houses, to having a key to a house; he went from being alone, to having a family. It had been strange, that somehow familiar and unknown feeling of belonging. That realization had taken him by surprise, but once he noticed it, he became selfish. Selfish because he knew he was in danger and he knew that his teammates were also in danger because of him; but he didn’t want to lose the only thing that had –finally- made him feel alive. 

Because, what is a life without a purpose? Surviving was not reason enough, not anymore. And soon, Neil realized that he had always been longing for a reason to stop. A reason to stay. A reason to love and live. 

It was all thanks to the foxes. Every single one of them. For worrying about him, for including him, for welcoming him, for joking with him, for laughing with him, for protecting him, for making him find his family. 

But Neil would be lying if he didn’t admit that Andrew had played a bigger role than everyone else. Andrew hadn’t been scared of Neil. Instead, he had wanted to protect him. Andrew had opened up to Neil in a way that no one had before, he had trusted Neil, even before knowing all of Neil’s secrets. In his own way. 

So, yes, Andrew was more than just family, was more than just a lover, Andrew was Neil’s home. And Neil was Andrew’s. 

It had taken them time, try and error. A discovery of boundaries, traumas, memories, openings; ends and beginnings. A discovery of how to love each other. And it had been Neil’s greatest journey so far. 

It had been a long time before they both felt completely comfortable with one another, it had been even longer to decide to adopt cats and raise them, and it had taken them quite some time to get used to the opportunity of having that kind of life. A life full of love. It was so odd, to imagine how can someone suffer so much, and yet to still be capable of love. 

But they had made it. They were together and in love. 

And they both knew how big their love for each other was. It was so bigger than both of them, bigger than the people around them, bigger than their past, bigger than their shadows and bigger than words. 

And it was because of all that, that Neil loved to take pictures of his family. He had bought a camera short after the nationals, and his first photo was one of Andrew sitting on the couch, a grimace on his face. Andrew sleeping peacefully. Kevin reading at his desk. Neil’s racquet. The court. Nicky trying to hug Aaron. Aaron and Katelyn, the latter smiling. Matt doing a peace sign. Matt trying to sit on Dan’s lap. And then a second shot of Nicky trying to sit on Matt’s lap. Kevin shouting at Matt during practice. A photo of Matt and Neil smiling at the camera, one of Matt’s arms around Neil’s shoulder. Wymack drinking beer after winning a match. Andrew drinking coffee early in the morning, he wasn't smiling, but he hasn't complained about it. Nicky dancing in the middle of the dance floor. A photo of Aaron and Andrew next to each other. A shot of Neil and Andrew looking at each other, tenderly -secretly taken by Nicky, who then had to run for his life-.

Sooner than expected, Neil’s camera was full of more than just pictures. It was full of memories, happy memories. Neil had grown so accustomed to taking a photo of things he loved that he always carried his camera around. even to practice. It had become a habit. Almost like a good luck charm. Because it meant that if he carried his camera with him, he would definitely have a memory worth remembering. It also was kinda like a wish, “I wish for happy moments in life, so I'll bring my camera just in case”. 

Andrew was Neil’s favorite thing to take photos of, especially when he was so calm and at peace that he wouldn't even notice Neil snapping a photo. And even though Neil wasn't a genius, he was sure Andrew didn't mind the pictures. And it wasn't just because he had seen Andrew’s lip twitch upward after a secret photoshoot, but rather because he had seen the picture Andrew carried on his wallet: a picture of the foxes. He also carried an extra photo of Neil, just Neil, but that one was better hidden. That fact made Neil’s heart beat happily.

Kevin, Andrew, Nicky and Neil’s dorm looked just like before Neil moved in. The only difference were the printed photos hanging on the walls in every room. Their fridge’s door was mainly covered in photos. 

Neil was happy his family enjoyed his pictures almost as much as he liked them, but even he had photos he wouldn't share with anyone. In fact, there was one he swore to himself, never to share with anyone else. A picture of Andrew wearing cat ears. 

Nicky had bought them as a joke and when he put them on Andrew’s head, Nicky had had to move his hand fast enough to avoid being bitten by Andrew. Neil had practically run to his desk to find his camera and snap a picture. Lucky for him, he was very fast. He had come back and Andrew was already threatening Nicky and when he saw Neil’s camera, he complained and lifted his hand to his head to take the cat ears off. 

“No” Neil had said, “Just one picture”.

He doesn't know what Andrew saw on Neils face that day, but he sight and kept the cat ears on his head.

“Fast” had been his only reply. 

Neil snapped a photo as fast as he could and he had been so mesmerized by the picture that he couldn't contain himself and the word “beautiful” escaped his lips before he was even aware of what he had said. 

Nicky stood in shock and was unable to speak but Andrew only rolled his eyes before taking the cat ears off. Neil was sure he was going to start threatening about not ever talking about this to anyone but, instead, Andrew walked to the kitchen and whispered “230%” when he was close enough to Neil. 

Remember, Niel. He told himself. Remember this moment, these people, this feeling, this life. This is what happiness feels like.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you very much for reading! English is not my first language so if there was a mistake pls feel free to make a comment about it so I can correct it!


End file.
